(North Adams) Located 400 km from Montreal, in the heart of pastoral Massachusetts, the small town of North Adams is home to the most important contemporary art center in the United States. Art lovers? Curious ? Need nature? A visit is essential.
North Adams and the beautiful Berkshires were once prosperous, driven by several industries located in the area along the river and railroad. The surroundings are magnificent, mountainous, a little raw, as we love nature when we need to find our way there.
In the mid-1980s, Sprague Electric closed its North Adams plant, resulting in the loss of 4,000 jobs. For a population which then numbered around 25,000 people, the blow was hard to take. It could, in fact, have been fatal, since half the residents of North Adams left at the time. But there was an art school there, and we quickly saw the potential of these majestic (and numerous) empty red brick industrial buildings.
The initial project was launched at the end of the 1980s and saw the light of day at the end of the 1990s, financed largely by the State, which was visionary in supporting this extraordinary approach – particularly at that time – there – and quite risky.
Because North Adams may be located in the middle of the mountains, it’s quite a rustic town. We wonder at the sight of this immense contemporary art campus how this can be viable, but we quickly realize that the museum relies on the support of a precious network of patrons. Which means MASS MoCa is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
The great thing about planning a visit to MASS MoCa (for Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) is that there is something for everyone, whether you like art a lot or a little less. It is difficult to remain impassive in the face of the brilliant recovery of this built heritage, so often left abandoned where industries have left. The rehabilitation is magnificent. And then, with an area of 250,000 square feet, it is difficult to find anything interesting, between the temporary and permanent exhibitions, including areas intended for children.
A first tip: plan to spend the day there. You won’t even need to go out for your meal break, since there are a few snack options on site, including a Mexican restaurant where you can sip mezcal, which is not recommended before to experience the virtual experience proposed by artist Laurie Anderson – on display until the end of the year.
At MASS MoCa you will come across works by established artists like Anselm Kiefer or Louise Bourgeois, but also others discovered there.
We particularly liked the installation by Kelli Rae Adams that we came across by chance. With Forever in Your Debt, the American ceramicist has made small bowls filled with change that will ultimately represent the entire average student debt in the United States – $37,000. The artist is regularly on site to explain his approach, in which visitors can participate.
At the entrance to the museum, some of the installations by local native Joseph Grigely are striking. The deaf artist collected the scraps of paper, envelopes, plane tickets and more on which people scribbled words to communicate with him, over a period of 30 years.
You can go to MASS MoCa any time, because the offer is exhaustive and varied, at all times. Before going, we recommend taking a look at the current exhibitions, but also at the entire program. Every Thursday in summer, one of the interior courtyards comes alive around the beer garden; and the Bluegrass Festival in September looks really awesome.
If you extend the visit, which is a great idea, the small town center, just across the street, has a few places for a nice dinner. And for a two or three day trip to North Adams, include other museums, galleries, or artist studio tours, many of which are inside MASS MoCA.
